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Nick Nelson

The Week Ahead

Week Ahead: Young Cub

In a rotation filled with established veteran hurlers, including the reigning NL Cy Young winner, Kyle Hendricks could be looked at as a boy among men – or a cub among bears, as it were. Placed next to the likes of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey, Hendricks doesn't exactly have a track record that measures up.

But the 26-year-old should not be underestimated.

Last year, in his first full season, Hendricks put up a 3.95 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 180 innings. In his short career, he has an outstanding 229-to-67 K/BB ratio over 278 innings and a better FIP than any other Cubs starter.

Hendricks has become a good source of strikeouts (he averaged almost one per inning last year), he limits base runners, and he has a good offense backing him up. Really, he has all of the components you're looking for from a fantasy standpoint so it's a little surprising he's only owned in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.

In the coming week, he's lined up to face the Brewers and Braves, two of the worst teams in the National League, both at home. Grab him if he's available.

* Orioles starters Kevin Gausman and Ubaldo Jimenez are both available in at least 75 percent of leagues, and are looking ahead to favorable match-ups against the Rays and White Sox. I'm particularly high on Gausman, who struck out nine in his final rehab outing on Wednesday.

* Taijuan Walker has allowed three runs total in his three turns. He hasn't missed a ton of bats so far but he definitely has the stuff. He'll get a pair of starts at home and his first opponent is the Astros, who have the second-most strikeouts in baseball.

* Jose Quintana has been cruising for the White Sox, but with tilts in Toronto and Baltimore on tap, I'd lean toward benching him this week.

* Chris Archer faces the same harrowing opponents in reverse order, but both at home. He's a tough call. He hasn't been able to get through six innings in any of his four starts, laboring constantly, but his velocity has been on the upswing and the strikeouts have certainly been there. I'm gonna go ahead and say this is the week he turns the corner. If he doesn't, it will be time to sound the alarms.

In a rotation filled with established veteran hurlers, including the reigning NL Cy Young winner, Kyle Hendricks could be looked at as a boy among men – or a cub among bears, as it were. Placed next to the likes of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey, Hendricks doesn't exactly have a track record that measures up.

But the 26-year-old should not be underestimated.

Last year, in his first full season, Hendricks put up a 3.95 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 180 innings. In his short career, he has an outstanding 229-to-67 K/BB ratio over 278 innings and a better FIP than any other Cubs starter.

Hendricks has become a good source of strikeouts (he averaged almost one per inning last year), he limits base runners, and he has a good offense backing him up. Really, he has all of the components you're looking for from a fantasy standpoint so it's a little surprising he's only owned in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.

In the coming week, he's lined up to face the Brewers and Braves, two of the worst teams in the National League, both at home. Grab him if he's available.

* Orioles starters Kevin Gausman and Ubaldo Jimenez are both available in at least 75 percent of leagues, and are looking ahead to favorable match-ups against the Rays and White Sox. I'm particularly high on Gausman, who struck out nine in his final rehab outing on Wednesday.

* Taijuan Walker has allowed three runs total in his three turns. He hasn't missed a ton of bats so far but he definitely has the stuff. He'll get a pair of starts at home and his first opponent is the Astros, who have the second-most strikeouts in baseball.

* Jose Quintana has been cruising for the White Sox, but with tilts in Toronto and Baltimore on tap, I'd lean toward benching him this week.

* Chris Archer faces the same harrowing opponents in reverse order, but both at home. He's a tough call. He hasn't been able to get through six innings in any of his four starts, laboring constantly, but his velocity has been on the upswing and the strikeouts have certainly been there. I'm gonna go ahead and say this is the week he turns the corner. If he doesn't, it will be time to sound the alarms.